Triterpenoids of Marine Origin as Anti-Cancer Agents

Triterpenoids are the most abundant secondary metabolites present in marine organisms, such as marine sponges, sea cucumbers, marine algae and marine-derived fungi. A large number of triterpenoids are known to exhibit cytotoxicity against a variety of tumor cells, as well as anticancer efficacy in p...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yong-Xin Li, S. W. A. Himaya, Se-Kwon Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2013-07-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/18/7/7886
Description
Summary:Triterpenoids are the most abundant secondary metabolites present in marine organisms, such as marine sponges, sea cucumbers, marine algae and marine-derived fungi. A large number of triterpenoids are known to exhibit cytotoxicity against a variety of tumor cells, as well as anticancer efficacy in preclinical animal models. In this review efforts have been taken to review the structural features and the potential use of triterpenoids of marine origin to be used in the pharmaceutical industry as potential anti-cancer drug leads.
ISSN:1420-3049